With Violent Crime Rising, Newark's Mayor Hails the First of 2 New Police Precincts

NEWARK, Jan. 11 - Responding to the spread of gangs and an increased murder rate, Mayor Sharpe James broke ground on Wednesday on the city's first new police precinct in more than a century. Surrounded by police and city officials at an empty lot in the Central Ward, he said the precinct would be the first of 11 new neighborhood bases for officers.

"This is a proud day when we keep another one of our promises," said Mr. James, who began calling for new precincts in 2002 during a heated mayoral campaign against Cory Booker, then a Newark municipal councilman.

Mr. James added, "We're going to bring to the neighborhood police precincts that will be more visible, more meaningful to the community, and we will have a front-line defense against drug dealers and those who disrespect the rights and property of others."

Mr. James said that the new precinct, at 261 16th Avenue, and a second location at 471 Irvington Avenue, would be open by June. Residents said they could hardly wait for the additional protection.

Citywide, the Police Department has just ended a particularly hard year, marked by more crime and internal scandal. The most visible sign of trouble has been homicides: the city had 97 murders in 2005, up from 90 in 2004 and 83 in 2003. Other violent crimes have also risen, said the police director, Anthony F. Ambrose III. The figures in Newark are similar to those in other New Jersey cities, like Trenton and Paterson, and in a handful of cities nationwide, Director Ambrose said.

Michael L. Wagers, executive director of the Police Institute at Rutgers University in Newark, said that Newark in particular has seen more gun-related violence, often involving gang members or older criminals who have recently been released from prison.

"There is a dispute about whether it's intergang activity, but it's not about a group trying to take over a corner," Mr. Wagers said. "The majority of the killings are driven by disrespect, minor disputes turned deadly and then revenge."

Witness intimidation is also a growing problem. Last month, the police said that a grisly execution of four people in the early-morning hours of Nov. 26, 2004, was caused by an attempt to silence one of the victims who was scheduled to testify about an earlier murder.

Essex County prosecutors report that witnesses regularly refuse to testify for fear of reprisals, and as a result, their conviction rates in murder cases place the county near the bottom of the state's ranking.

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Police officials, meanwhile, have come under fire from residents in recent months for a variety of missteps. In November, Deputy Police Director Rocco Malanga, who oversees the city's antiterrorism efforts, tried to collect his $85,000 pension and $136,000 salary by retiring, then taking the same position as a civilian. He rescinded his plan after The Star-Ledger published an article about the cost to Newark taxpayers.

A month later, Deputy Police Chief Vincent Gagliano was reassigned to an administrative position after state officials told the department that he was being investigated for submitting false information on a gun permit application. According to the state police, Mr. Gagliano claimed that he had never been convicted of a felony -- which would bar him from carrying a firearm in New Jersey. In fact, he had been convicted in 1976 of death by reckless driving after a woman died when she was hit by a car that he was driving.

Last month, Newark officers failed to find the body of a 19-year-old Irvington man killed in a one-vehicle crash near Newark Liberty International Airport. Five days later, the man's father went to the scene and found his son on an embankment.

Derrick Hatcher, president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Newark, said this week that morale among the department's officers is at its lowest point in history.

"We as Newark police officers take a lot of pride in our position as law enforcement officers, and here we have a deputy chief who had a felony," he said. "It doesn't sit well with us."

Mr. Hatcher said that with a municipal election in May, officers also now feel pressured to support Mr. James and avoid Mr. Booker, who since leaving the Municipal Council has been a community activist. Mr. Booker, 36, has been campaigning since last spring for another run for mayor.

"There are a lot of officers who are afraid to say anything," Mr. Hatcher said, "because they don't want to get disciplined or transferred."

Mayor James, 69, denied that politics plays a role in police personnel decisions. Asked why the two new precincts are scheduled for completion so close to the election, he said, "This is not a political event."

Mr. James has remained coy for months about whether he plans to run for a sixth term. He has formed a joint candidates committee called the Newark Team 2006, which is planning a fund-raiser on Jan. 26. Many of the mayor's supporters said they expected him to announce then whether he would run or retire.